1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a specimen sensing apparatus for sensing a specimen such as blood, which is contained in a container such as a test tube.
2. Description of the Related Art
Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2002-323479 discloses a specimen sensing apparatus as described above. In this apparatus, a sensing coil is fitted to a test tube containing serum and clot that are separated from each other by a silicon-separating agent. The sensing coil and test tube are moved relative to each other while the sensing coil is being supplied with a measured signal having a given frequency. Based on variations in the level of the measured signal, a separation surface between the serum and clot is detected.
The above apparatus is designed to magnetically sense a specimen in a test tube by fitting the sensing coil to the test tube. It is not therefore suitable to sense a specimen contained in a container while a belt conveyor is conveying the container.